World Health Organisation and young doctors: is there any place for improvement?

(IFMSA, 2017)

This article was exclusively written for the Sting by Mr Animesh Upadhyay, medical student from India who is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA). However, the opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

“In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired”- Margaret Chan, the ex-director of health of Hong Kong and also the current director general of the World Health Organization aptly states that in order to be motivated and bring about an inspired action one needs to feel the objective in hand way before a scheme is seeded.

The current scenario according to the overall health system performance for all the 191 countries, places India at 112th position, which clearly depicts that there is tons of help needed by the country. The young aspirants and doctors emerging out of the system every year, are getting channelled towards money and sewing their own lifestyle, whereas the focus should be on the general population.

This negative motivation keeps the country in a static phase or as we say in psychology, undermines the young doctors to be under regression: childish and selfish. As a result, these doctors never attempt to see out of the box and work for the betterment of the country.

WHO plays a major role in imbibing ethics in the young doctors from the undergraduate level. This module is specifically to help students to recognize the importance of being sensitive to ethical issues within everyday clinical practice and to develop in them the ability to effectively address ethical concerns of patients as well as in clinical research involving patients and human beings.

And this is one of the major reason, India has adapted to the ethical criteria of WHO and hence impel young doctors to consider this as a must in every research they pursue. WHO understands that the world needs some kind of a didactic communication unravelling to the doctor’s skills and attitudes necessary to guide their conduct on the ethical perspective through the teaching/learning exercises in the medical schools in their undergraduate course. Unfortunately many fraternities in the world portray statistics, showing that the research done is manipulative and ethical considerations are never considered.

The other crucial aspect for refinement is of research. Young doctors still have a very compact knowledge regarding research. But what they don’t know is that such a massive organization gives a huge opportunity to all who seek grants or acceptance for pursuing their work. The worldwide agenda (WHA55.18) itself states that “encouraging research” is one of them, and it should be. The potential in this aspect is wide and thus the young doctors instead of running behind material growth should pause and expand their horizon in the field of study.

This will entitle them to unfathomable achievement as the betterment of the community will start through them in addition to their own flourishing self interests. Conclusion being that there is a lot of scope for improvement amongst the young doctors, fresh outside the nest in relation with WHO, which provides for various methods of delivering comprehensive health care and eradication of diseases.

“Continued improvement is better than delayed perfection”- Mark Twain.